“It’s not worth reliving. Jay’s pretense fooled me. He kept me tied up and used my body as a carving board.” Leila pointed to her face and arms with a sniffle. “Busted ribs and a broken wrist will heal but these scars...” she broke off with a sob.
Reece looked at her hand, clutched tightly against her chest in a brace. While he pitied both women, he reckoned Aria had gotten away with far more than this young woman. She had her whole scarred life ahead of her, and he prayed she’d get through it. “Talkin’ may help, you know?”
Her lips widened in what he assumed to be a smile. “The good thing is he’ll never touch another woman or himself. We made sure of that.”
“Is he dead?” Reece silently hoped the bastard was still alive. He itched to nail the sick son of a bitch with his bare hands. Give him a taste of his own medicine without a knife.
Leila shook her head. “I’m not sure. When I called the cops, he lay unconscious on the floor. When we got here, my only concern laid with Aria.”
“What did Jay do to her?” He gripped the foot rail of the bed tightly, not sure if he was ready for her answer.
“When Aria woke after he’d drugged her for the trip home, she gave him no time to touch her. The minute he walked in the door, Aria retaliated.”
“What about the split lip, the marks on her jaw, and neck?”
“Jay hit her then tried to strangle her, but I pushed him away. He responded by smacking me then Aria beat the crap out of him. Distracted, we didn’t see him coming until it was too late, and he stabbed her.”
It took effort to keep from cursing out loud. Reece clamped his teeth tight and reined in his anger. God help the bastard if Reece ever laid hands on him. “Thank you, Leila.” He stood. “If you need anythin’, you know where to find me. I’ll help any way I can.”
She nodded. “Thank you. I’m glad Jay brought Aria back. Not because of what he intended doing to her, but because her appearance saved me.”
“I understand. And I’m glad you were there.” Reece had no way of knowing the turn of events if Jay hadn’t kidnapped Leila. “See you later, okay.” He turned to leave.
“Reece?”
“Yeah?” He stopped at the door and looked back.
“When Aria awakes, will you let me know?”
“Sure.” With a wink, he walked out. Reece checked in on a sleeping Aria once more then headed back downstairs. On the ground floor, he found Cody and Samantha in the waiting room. They stood when he approached.
“How’s she doin’?” Cody asked.
“Still out, but I met the doctor. He says she’s healing well.”
“Aria’s a tough cookie. She’ll beat this one. Eight years with that ass says so.” Samantha looped an arm in his.
“Do you guys know Jay kidnapped another woman. She’s responsible for Aria making it to the hospital?”
Samantha nodded, and Cody shook his head. “Papa mentioned her briefly. He had no details to share though,” his sister-in-law explained.
“I met her. She’s pretty messed up. Busted ribs, broken wrist and knife wounds to her face and arms.”
“Oh, my God.” Shocked, Samantha covered her open mouth.
“Real fighter, though.” Reece reckoned he owed Leila for Aria’s life, and getting even with Jay might help her some. “Sam, does your dad know what happened to Jay?”
“I’ll let Cody explain.”
His brother grinned. “Jay’s paralyzed from the waist down. Got his ass kicked. Took a bullet to the nuts—knocked him out cold while he bled like a pig. It seems like Aria shot his dick to hell, and with it went his balls. Well, what remained after the previous shooting. According to Sam’s dad, the gunshot damaged some critical nerves they can’t repair.”
Jesus.Torn between the shock of Aria’s bravery and her insane act to take Jay on, Reece stared at his brother blankly then said, “She probably had no choice. Serves the bastard right.” Reece snorted. “I would’ve killed the fucker. Is he in this hospital?”
Cody shook his head. “Nope. Prison hospital and even if he were here, you can’t see him.” His brother cocked a brow as if reading Reece’s thoughts. “Forget about revenge, bro. Jay’s done for. Just think about helping Aria heal.”
“I guess you’re right. Boy, I would’ve loved to have nailed his sorry ass to the wall.”
“You and me both.” Cody grinned. “You’ve got one helluva woman in Aria, Reece. Don’t make the mistake of letting her go. To stand tall after what she’s been through takes guts.”
